After six seasons, the Dan Quinn era in Atlanta ended with a whimper, coupled with longtime general manager Thomas Dimitroff’s relief from his duties. Just four years ago, the Falcons were an offensive juggernaut, led by MVP quarterback Matt Ryan to a Super Bowl appearance. So, how did we get here?
Atlanta hired Quinn, the former defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks, in 2015 to bring the “Legion of Boom” type of defense from Seattle to the Falcons. He promised a “fast and physical” defense in his inaugural press conference, but five seasons later, the defense is anything but “fast and physical.” In his six seasons, the “defensive guru” has only had one defense finish in the top 10 since he arrived in 2015.
After Quinn’s first season started 5-0, the Falcons failed to make the playoffs. They are the only franchise to have this on their resume. However, the Falcons began to show life in 2016, especially on the offense. Many felt it was the Falcons’ year.
The Falcons defense came alive in the playoffs, and they bullied Quinn’s old Seahawks team, effectively ending the “Legion of Boom” era in Seattle. The 2016 team quickly became the best team in the franchise, and throughout the NFC playoffs, they dominated the competition.
When the Falcons routed the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship, it truly felt like the Falcons were going to be champions. Alas, it was not to be.
The Falcons 2016 offense broke records as the NFL’s top-scoring offense that season. Many who followed the game closely believe the Falcons top-notch offense was the best since the St. Louis Rams teams from 1999-2001, often referred to as the “Greatest Show on Turf.”
Atlanta fans don’t need a rewind of Super Bowl LI, but it turned into a symbol of the Falcons under the Quinn regime. Even after the infamous “28-3” game, many Falcons fans were confident that the team was poised to return and win.
They still had an MVP in Ryan, an All-Pro receiver in Julio Jones and an emerging defense led by their youthful studs Vic Beasley and Grady Jarrett. There was still much for the team and fans to which they could look forward.
Or so they thought.
The cracks in the Quinn regime began to appear quickly after Super Bowl LI. Beasley, who set the sack record in 2016, proved to be a fluke and was a no-show in the pass rush. The Falcons would also continue to be inconsistent, going through multiple winning and losing streaks throughout Quinn’s tenure.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan left the Falcons for the head coaching job with the San Francisco 49ers, forcing Ryan to learn another offensive scheme. Quinn replaced Shanahan with former University of Southern California head coach Steve Sarkisian as OC.
Suffice it to say, the change failed, and the Falcons offense turned into a shell of its former self. Sarkisian’s controversial hiring upset fans who preferred Matt LaFleur, the team’s quarterback coach at the time, since he studied under Shanahan.
Quinn and the Falcons reportedly were unimpressed with LaFleur and let him walk after 2016. The team probably wishes they could have LaFleur back. Their scoring average dropped from an outstanding 33 points a game to just over 22 points per game.
The year 2017 would be the last time the Falcons would reach the playoffs under Quinn. In the following season, the Falcons would suffer from abysmal starts to the season.
The defense played well and ranked 10th overall in total defense to help the Falcons get back to the playoffs. They upset the Rams in the wildcard round, but ran into eventual champion Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round game against the Philadelphia Eagles, losing 15-10.
In the last few years, the team’s season starts have been anything but promising. Their disappointing 1-4 record through five games in the 2018 and 2019 seasons could only be worse if they started 0-5.
In 2020, they are winless through five games, have blown multiple double-digit leads and seem to have little direction. Will they go 6-2 down the stretch this season like they did last year? Maybe, but they will do it without their head coach of six seasons.
After the troubling 2018 season, Quinn fired both Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Marquan Manuel. The defensive play-calling became his role.
Those final eight games are what many will point to as a legitimate reason for Quinn retaining his job in 2019. After all, the team did beat the NFC leading 49ers and a strong New Orleans Saints team on the road, two big wins for any coach.
However, anyone who glimpses at the Falcons’ laughable play in 2019 knows the decision was close to delusional.
Quinn’s supposed expertise from his Seattle days turned out to be nothing more than snake oil: he took smaller role in the defensive play-calling duties midway through the season, but not by choice.
Even after Quinn was relieved of doing the only thing he was brought to Atlanta to accomplish –– improve the defense –– nothing evolved substantially. The Falcons ranked 29th in the NFL in sacks and the bottom half of the league in overall defense — not exactly those same numbers from the seasons prior.
Quinn promised a defense that would dominate and a team that would excel, but he never delivered.
Despite this, Quinn somehow kept his job. Surprising precisely 0% of the Falcons fan base, Quinn repeated the exact sequence of events in 2020, starting the season winless through the first five weeks.
Then there is the topic of Quinn hiring current Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter. Longtime Falcons fans are familiar with the name because he walked away from an atrocious Atlanta team in 2014 for the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Despite this, Quinn thought it would be a good idea to bring back the former Falcons coach, and the team has remained winless in 2020, boasting two straight games with no touchdown passes.
What is that saying about insanity? Something to do with repeating the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result, right?
Quinn’s tenure with Atlanta did little in the way of convincing anyone of his competence as a football coach. Instead, it exemplified Atlanta’s sports dichotomy, one of doom and anguish to which the Falcons have contributed so generously.
Were there good moments over Quinn’s time in Atlanta? Undoubtedly.
Reaching the Super Bowl was an immense accomplishment for Quinn and the Falcons. But in perfect Falcons fashion, the team merely built up the emotions in its fans so that it could tear them all the way back down.
Ultimately, Falcons fans find themselves in a familiar place, a position that needs a lot of work, with few clear signs of where to start. Rebuilding might work, but with controversy over the future of Matt Ryan’s career and a continual lack of player acquisition skills from the front office, no fans can be confident in the future.
One thing is for sure: Dan Quinn is no more, and the Falcons may have a chance at redeeming themselves in seasons to come.
